Mocha Chocolate Cake

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  Photo: Bon Appétit: Don't worry if your cake and frosting are lighter in color. This photo has a food styler who took liberties. It's the taste we care about.

  I tweaked a Bon Appétit recipe requiring cake flour and mascarpone frosting - neither of which I stock. Mascarpone cream is "Italian cream cheese." It is slightly richer than American cream cheese, but you can add rich cream or sour cream to compensate in taste.
  
  As it happens: There is always cream cheese in my refrigerator, but never, ever mascarpone cheese; and there is always all-purpose flour in my cupboard, but never, ever cake flour. I dislike a job (shopping) before doing a job (baking a cake). Nobody has time for that! IMHO: 99% of all cakes turn out just fine using all-purpose flour. I've never had trouble eating one! The difference is: All-purpose flour has slightly more protein than cake flour.
  
  Another reason, I altered the recipe is: My German mother conditioned me to think: American pastries are too sweet. So I usually reduce the sugar in cakes by 1/2 cup, or more when I can get away with it. If the cake batter is less sweet, you will taste other ingredients better like chocolate, vanilla, or coffee. After frosting I rarely miss the lack of 1/2 cup of sugar in the batter since frosting is mainly sugar. Don't mess with Mom when baking, she's usually right! Here is my recipe for --
  
  
  Mocha Chocolate Cake
  
  

  Ingredients for the batter:
  

  
  
  
  2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  3/4 cup natural unsweetened raw cacao (or cocoa) powder - I use cacao power.
  1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  3/4 teaspoon salt
  1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
  1 1/2 cups (packed) brown sugar (The original recipe calls for 2 cups, so you can up the sugar if you must. You get used to less sugar over time.)
  1 cup buttermilk
  3 large eggs
  1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  4 teaspoons instant coffee (or espresso powder) dissolved in 3/4 cup hot water
  
  Extra butter and flour to grease baking pans.
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  Directions for the batter:
  
  
  1) In a large bowl, Mix the ingredients together starting with the butter and sugar. Shift the dry ingredients (flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt together in another bowl and add a bit at a time. Add the buttermilk and blend with an electric mixer.
  
  
  2) Add one egg at a time, beating with the electric mixer.
  
  
  3) Add the vanilla and coffee dissolved in water.
  
  
  4) Beat about 2 minutes until uniform.
  
  
  5) Pour the batter into 2 buttered and floured 9" baking pans.
  
  
  6) Bake at 325 degree F in a pre-heated oven for 40 minutes, or until the centers are done. 
  
  
  7) Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes before removing from the pans to cool completely.
  
  
  
  
  Ingredients for the frosting:
  
  

• 1/3 cup raw cacao (or cocoa) powder
  2 tablespoons instant coffee (or espresso) powder
  8 ounces cream cheese
  1/4 cup of heavy whipping cream; or sour cream
  A box of powdered sugar (not all is needed)
• Bittersweet chocolate curls for garnish
  
  
  Directions for the frosting: 
  
  
  1) Using an electric mixer blend the ingredients until smooth. I add the powdered sugar from the box until I get a desired creamy, yet thick consistency.
  
  
  Feel free to use mascarpone cheese in the frosting recipe instead of my cream cheese substitutions if you have it. Either way, you will love this moist mocha chocolate cake. From Bon Appétit ...  bon appétit!🎂
  
  ++++++++++++++++++++++
  Should we once again turn a full cake recipe into a Single Serving Mug Cake? (Yes! I hear you, Trish of The Red Cardinal.)
  
  Ingredients:
  
  6 tablespoons all-purpose flour

  

  Photo: Skint Dad

  
  2 tablespoons raw cacao (or cocoa) powder
  1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  a pinch of salt
  2 tablespoons butter
  2 tablespoons brown sugar
  3 tablespoons buttermilk
  1 tablespoon of egg (Use the rest of the egg for breakfast. Waste not, want not.)
  1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  1 teaspoon of instant coffee (or espresso) dissolved into about 1/8 of a cup of hot water (You'll need to eyeball the water.)
  
  Directions: 
  
  Follow the batter recipe above↑ using the reduced ingredients. Grease and flour a mug and bake in the microwave for one minute, then 10 seconds at a time until the center is done.
  
  For the  Mocha Chocolate frosting, improvise using teaspoons of the ingredients in the order above until you get the taste and a desired creamy, yet thick consistency. Frosting is easy enough to eyeball!
  
  
  You may also enjoy:
  Snickerdoodle Cake
  Lemon Elderflower Cake
  A Pretty Rainbow Almond Cake
  A Single Serving Of Homemade Cake